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Curragh Intrigue on Friday

The Curragh offer the perfect warm-up to the weekend with a Friday twilight card featuring a trio of Group 3 races including two Classic pointers for 2022.

The first is the Manguard Plus Irish EBF Flame of Tara S. for 2-year-old fillies over a mile, with Flaxman Stables Ireland, Demi O'Byrne & Susan Magnier represented by Albula (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) bidding to double her tally having won over this trip on debut at Naas Aug. 2. Representing the Joseph O'Brien stable, she encounters a pair of Ballydoyle runners in Kiss You Later (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Moyglare Stud Farm, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor's daughter of the GI Santa Monica S. heroine Switch (Quiet American) who was seventh on debut over seven furlongs here July 18, and the unraced Lullaby (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Westerberg's relative of the G3 Jersey S. winner Ishvana (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). In a race of unexposed types, Zhang Yuesheng's Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a Jessie Harrington-trained half-sister to Novellist (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) enters the reckoning despite being only fourth on debut behind Albula at Naas.

The second of the juvenile Group 3 races is the Heider Family Stables Round Tower S. over six furlongs, where Harringon saddles Alpha Racing's Aug. 8 seven-furlong maiden winner Cowboy Justice (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) against some proven performers. They include Juddmonte's unbeaten filly Sacred Bridge (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) who captured the five-furlong Listed Tipperary S. June 30 and the valuable Ballyhane S. over this trip at Naas Aug. 2. John and Jess Dance's July 8 G2 July S. third Sam Maximus (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) ships from Britain, while Mark Dobbin's July 21 Listed Marwell S. winner Ladies Church (GB) (Churchill {Ire}) is another with black-type already under her belt.

In between is the nine-furlong Snow Fairy Fillies S., in which Teruya Yoshida's G1 Matron S. heroine Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) looks to get her head in front for the first time in 2021 and bounce back from a disappointing effort when last in the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket July 9. Last year's G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Shale (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has also been in the doldrums of late, but was sixth in the 10-furlong G1 Pretty Polly S. here last time June 27 and can also benefit from a drop in class, while Team Valor International and Gary Barber's progressive Solene Lilyette (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) comes off a career-best win in Gowran Park's Listed Hurry Harriet S. over 100 yards further Aug. 11.

Click here for the group fields.

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Skalleti to Run Next in Prix Foy

Two-time Group 1 winner Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), runner-up in last October's G1 QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot, will not compete in Sunday's G2 Grand Prix de Deauville and instead wait for the G2 Prix Foy on Sept. 12, trainer Jerome Reynier revealed on Thursday. The Champion S. is the charismatic grey gelding's end-of-season goal.

“He is very good–we're very happy with him,” said Reynier. “We've decided not to go to the Grand Prix de Deauville because the ground is too firm, and by the end of the meeting it could be very patchy and dangerous for the horse.

“We think the [G2] Prix Dollar–two weeks prior to the Champion S., which is his aim–would be too close.

“We think the Prix Foy would be a better prep race. It's five weeks prior to the Champion S.–but I'm just thinking about all the factors. The ground is a big factor, because we'd like to run him on soft ground, so we will keep our options open as well.

“It's [the Champion S.] definitely our aim–we are targeting this race and trying to win it.”

Since running unplaced in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup in December, Skalleti, who races for Jean-Claude Seroul, has been flawless in four starts this year. He kicked his season off with a 3 ½-length win in the G3 Prix Exbury at Saint-Cloud on Mar. 21, and added the Apr. 11 G2 Prix d'Harcourt and the G1 Prix d'Ispahan in May. In his latest appearance, the 6-year-old gelding drew off to take the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis – Bayeriches Zuchtrennen by five lengths at Munich on July 25.

Group 1 winner Marianafoot (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who also races for the Jerome Reynier/Jean-Claude Seroul axis, has had his next start outlined. The ultra-consistent 6-year-old entire is currently riding an eight-race winning streak and is targeting the G1 Prix de la Foret on Oct. 3.

“We're aiming for the Prix de la Foret for the Arc weekend–that will be his final race probably,” said Reynier. “We're happy with him–he's in good shape and he's won two group races in Longchamp. That will be his final race, so we'll be trying to be competitive.”

Marianafoot has already made seven winning starts this year, with his third listed win arriving in April. He then claimed the G3 Prix du Palais-Royal at ParisLongchamp on May 30 and the July 1 G3 Prix de la Porte Maillot. In his latest start, he won his first Group 1, the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.

“They're [the owners] so happy with both of them–for 6-year-olds to be so competitive and in such great form is amazing for the team. We're doing well. We've won 13 or 14 good races this year, and that is amazing.”

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Saffron Beach Will Stay Close to Home For Sun Chariot

Saturday's G3 Atalanta S. heroine Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), runner-up in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas in Newmarket in May, will make her next start at that course in the Oct. 2 G1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot S., trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam announced on Thursday. Originally, the Oct. 17 GI E.P. Taylor S. at Woodbine in Canada had been under consideration, too, for the 2020 G3 Oh So Sharp S. victress.

“The plan going forward will be to head to the Sun Chariot. It is her backyard and she has done extremely well there before having won there twice and finishing second there twice in four starts so she knows the track really well,” said Chapple-Hyam of the G1 Cazoo Oaks eighth and G1 Falmouth S. 11th. “She had excuses in the Oaks as it came up really heavy and she had a dirty lung after finishing down the field in the Falmouth S.

“She finished second in the 1000 Guineas so we knew she had the ability to win more group races and it was important getting more black type on Saturday. She was dominant in that last furlong and when Hollie [Doyle] asked her to go two out she shot clear which was nice to see.

Chapple-Hyam added, “I think a race like the [GI] E.P. Taylor S. is really a race for 4-year-olds. We feel she can travel next year for a race like that when she is that bit older.”

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Invincible Spirit’s Pearls Galore Rules In The Fairy Bridge

Continuing her upward trajectory on Thursday, Haras de Saint Pair's Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) defied a three-pound penalty for her July 11 G3 Brownstown S. success in style in Tipperary's G3 Coolmore Stud No Nay Never Fairy Bridge S. Always travelling strongly racing behind the pace, the 5-2 second favourite was angled off the fence by Billy Lee straightening for home and after delivering her potent turn of acceleration recorded a comprehensive 1 3/4-length defeat of Roca Roma (Ire) (Australia {GB}). “She was in great form when she won the Brownstown and I said we'd go straight for the Matron,” trainer Paddy Twomey said. “She was in great form at home and I felt it would be unwise to bypass this one on our doorstep. I thought if she could do what she did there then we could have a crack at a group 1. I felt it might be a bit fanciful if we hadn't done something like that. She's earned her shot wherever it might be.”

Runner-up to Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) when this was staged at Gowran Park in September, Pearls Galore had finished fifth in the Listed Cooley Fillies & Mares S. at a mile on Dundalk's Polytrack in November before returning to be third in the G3 Ballycorus S. over seven at Leopardstown June 10. Building on her Brownstown success at Fairyhouse, the diminutive granddaughter of Haras de Saint Pair's foundation mare Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}) looked every bit ready to attempt to emulate Champers Elysees in the highest category. Twomey revealed that she has three top-level alternatives. “The [Sept. 11] Matron [at Leopardstown], the [Oct. 3 Prix de la] Foret [at ParisLongchamp] and the First Lady in Keeneland on the 8th of October are all options and Keeneland would suit her. It's a quick, tight mile but we'll leave the dust settle and come up with a plan. She's bred by Andreas Putsch who races her and raced all her family. I think we're obliged to go for a group 1 now. She won't run next year, so I'd say another run and that will be it.”

Pearls Galore's dam is the German group 3 winner Pearl Banks (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), whose prior black-type performers are Lucky Lycra (Ire) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), who scored at the same level in the same country, and the Listed Prix des Lilas winner Pearly Steph (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The aforementioned second dam, the G1 Prix Vermeille heroine Pearly Shells, was also responsible for the Listed Prix Panacee winner Pearls Or Passion (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) who is in turn the dam of the G3 Prix de Royaumont scorer Pelligrina (Ire) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) and the listed-placed Podemos (Ger) (Shamardal). Pearl Banks is also a half-sister to two other black-type performers including this year's G2 Prix Greffulhe runner-up Smile Makers (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and to Propaganda (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), who in turn produced the G3 May Hill S. third Shagah (Ire) from a mating with Pearls Galore's sire Invincible Spirit. Pearl Banks has an as-yet unnamed 2-year-old filly by Dark Angel (Ire) and a yearling colt by Shalaa (Ire).

Thursday, Tipperary, Ireland
COOLMORE STUD NO NAY NEVER FAIRY BRIDGE S.-G3, €55,000, Tipperary, 8-26, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f 110yT, 1:36.61, g/y.
1–PEARLS GALORE (FR), 136, f, 4, by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
1st Dam: Pearl Banks (GB) (GSW-Ger, SW-Fr, $127,537), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Pearly Shells (GB), by Efisio (GB)
3rd Dam: Piffle (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
O/B-SCEA Haras de Saint Pair (FR); T-Paddy Twomey; J-Billy Lee. €33,000. Lifetime Record: 9-4-1-1, $125,089. *1/2 to Lucky Lycra (Ire) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), GSW-Ger, SW-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Roca Roma (Ire), 133, f, 4, Australia (GB)–Lucy Diamonds (Ire), by Orpen. (75,000gns RNA Wlg '17 TATFOA). O-Roca Partnership; B-Tommy Murphy (IRE); T-Ger Lyons. €11,000.
3–Loch Lein (Ire), 128, f, 3, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Ashley Hall, by Maria's Mon. (350,000gns RNA Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Joan Brosnan; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. €5,500.
Margins: 1 3/4, HF, HF. Odds: 2.50, 7.00, 8.00.
Also Ran: Rocket Science (Ire), Surrounding (Ire), Sziget (Ire), Let's (Ire), Pretty Gorgeous (Fr), Miramis (Ire), Thinking of You, Friendly (Ire), Pale Iris (Ire), Elizabethan, Sweet Gardenia (GB), Parent's Prayer (Ire). Scratched: Acquiescent (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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